Allow us now to move upward and outward in our journey.
John Donne wrote, "No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
If you take exception to his use of the word "man", feel free to adapt the phrasing as you see fit; the importance here is not in the diction but in the message: no individual lives in a vacuum; we are all interconnected with each other and with our world, and we each impact the other in unfathomable and irrevocable ways.
One could imagine a highly intricate web linking us all, but that image would be inadequate; the connections between us and our world border on the infinite; the pattern would be too complex for the mind to comprehend. Let us, then, simplify the image in order that we may better understand the ramifications of these inter-relationships.
Imagine a simple network. As many of us know, any network is only as strong as its weakest components. Or, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. When we work together, when we do the right thing, when we act with honor and live in truth, when we love and care and hope and dream, we are strong; we lift each other up; we strengthen each other. It's a cyclical effect, a positive feedback loop. And it can be done; it just needs people to commit themselves to setting it in motion. It won't be easy or fast, but it will be worth it. It will be worth everything.
Because the opposite also holds true. The more we let greed, destruction, despair, violence, cynicism, hatred, anger, and their kindred reign supreme, the further we sink into torment and desolation.
In which state would you rather live?
It's pretty much a no-brainer, huh?
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